Although we are in the early stages of October, it is already a wonderful month for British crime fiction. THE SLAUGHTER MAN is the latest exhibit submitted in proof of that proposition. After a series of fine and well-respected novels that have been classified as “man lit,” Tony Parsons made a memorable and seamless transition to crime thrillers in 2014’s THE MURDER MAN, which introduced English homicide detective Max Wolfe. Parsons, whose fine wit is on display in his prior books as well as his ongoing newspaper essays, continues to combine dark humor with sharp characterization as Wolfe investigates the New Year’s Eve massacre of a family and the disappearance of their youngest child from the scene.

"THE SLAUGHTER MAN is dark and brutal stuff, though only where it needs to be.... Here’s hoping that this series continues for a long time to come. We need it."

The massacre in question is a seemingly senseless one, involving the wealthy Wood family, whose ensconcement in a high-class gated community did not prevent most of them from being murdered at seemingly the stroke of midnight. The wife and two of the three children are killed, but the husband is brutalized in some of the worst ways possible before he meets his ultimate demise. The murder weapon is a cattle stun gun, and it brings to mind some revenge killings that were visited upon a family years before and performed by Peter Nawkins, a member of a family of travelers. The deed earned him the nickname “The Slaughter Man,” which has hung with him even after serving a lengthy sentence for the murders. Nawkins is still in the area, and though he denies any contact or knowledge of the killings, there is evidence that says otherwise.

Meanwhile, Wolfe is obsessed not only with locating the killer but also in finding the younger son of the Woods family, who is unaccounted for in the aftermath of the carnage. His initial investigation leads him to discover that one member of the family has been leading a double life, which in turn leads him down a path that, after some misdirection, will resolve both of the issues he is investigating, though not without some tragedy and additional loss of life.

Be warned: THE SLAUGHTER MAN is dark and brutal stuff, though only where it needs to be. Parsons is never gratuitous in his descriptions of violence (and worse), but he does not flinch in his descriptions of the dangers inherent in police work or the brutality of evil visited upon the innocent and otherwise. Wolfe sustains more than his fair share by book’s end. Parsons does an excellent job of utilizing Scout, Wolfe’s somewhat precocious but always-adoring four-year-old daughter, as a counterbalance to the evil he encounters. She gives him a reason to continue to fight the good fight for a better world and as a soft light of innocence and goodness that he can rely upon for focus when the job, though never done, reaches an end of sorts.

Here’s hoping that this series continues for a long time to come. We need it.